By Melissa Grant
Suzie Brooking never imagined she would return to the workforce so soon after having her two children.
The Cranbourne mum was fearful of getting a job. She was scared she might let her employer down. She was scared she might not be there for her girls, who have autism.
Despite these anxieties, Suzie has managed to land a dream role with an organisation she loves.
Perhaps you could call it fate, particularly considering she never applied for the job, which is in a field she has no experience in.
But volunteering, as Suzie discovered, can open many doors.
Suzie was shopping at a newly opened op-shop for Backpacks 4 Vic Kids, when a volunteer mentioned they needed someone to manage the shop.
“They said they had no-one,” she recalled.
“It was a bit of an epiphany for me – I thought ‘what could I do?’”
Suzie was keen to help as Backpacks 4 Vic Kids had long been one of her favourite charities.
The Cranbourne-based organisation provides backpacks and nappy bags to Victorian children entering foster care and emergency accommodation.
With the op-shop being so close to her home, Suzie figured she could return quickly to her daughters Mikayla, 6, and Lilly, 4, if they needed her.
“I thought with volunteering I can learn stuff and if I need to go, I can go,” she explained.
“I could leave the girls for a few hours and as a volunteer I wasn’t committed to anything. I’m around the corner and I’m getting my mental break.”
Suzie began volunteering in February, and not long after she was told the organisation was going to turn the role into a paid position.
However, she didn’t throw her hat in the ring.
“I didn’t apply for the job when they actually said the position was available,” she said.
“I was scared because ‘what if I can’t do the job? What if I let people down?’ These are all the fears you have.
“Also a lot of us parents (of children with special needs) have to fit in therapy.”
But Suzie’s hard work hadn’t gone unnoticed and Backpacks 4 Vic Kids founder, Sally Beard offered her the job.
“She said ‘would you like it?’ I had an interview and I had the job the next day,” Suzie recalled.
“I don’t have the experience on paper. I’m very independent – I learn myself and Sally guides me. I could have never done a management position before.”
Suzie has been busy making the op shop bigger and better – and loves every minute of it.
She manages a website and Facebook page, has created signage and, with the help of daughter Mikayla, designed a mascot.
Volunteering has done more than land Suzie a dream role – it’s also improved her mental health by making her feel more connected with the outside world. She believes there are many parents who could greatly benefit from volunteering.
“With children with special needs it’s a bit scary, but you do have things for yourself,” she said.
“Also, it may be possible to volunteer somewhere you can bring a child.
“I just had to step out of my comfort zone and push away those fears.”
